Akiho Sendo confesses “I’m going to be a ‘trendy auntie’ in Hokkaido!

It has been 15 years since I moved to Hokkaido. I was fascinated by the magnificent nature and fresh food.

I was fascinated by the magnificent nature and fresh food,” said actor Akiho Sendo, 57, with deep emotion. It was in the spring of 2011 that Sendo moved to Sapporo, Hokkaido, the hometown of her scuba diving instructor husband. The birth of her second child was the impetus for the move.

Until just before the birth, I was living in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, near my parents’ home, but an acquaintance introduced me to an obstetrician in Hokkaido. At first, I thought I would be staying there temporarily with the intention of giving birth back home in Hokkaido, where my husband’s mother lived. However, I was so comfortable in Hokkaido, with its rich nature and delicious food, that I completely grew roots in the island.

“The queen of school festivals” and “trendy actor” ……. Chido, as she was called, had never had a strong interest in the entertainment industry.

I was an athlete from elementary school. I love to run. In junior high school, I was on the track team and was busy with practice and competitions, so I rarely watched TV.

The turning point came when he was in high school.

I entered the drama department of a newly established prefectural high school in Hyogo Prefecture. I was interested in health and physical education and wanted to become a kindergarten teacher, so I thought that studying acting would be a fun way to play with children. But everyone around me was serious about becoming an entertainer. During the summer vacation of my senior year of high school, I lightly auditioned for the “Lotte Commercial Idol is You! I was not sure why, but I passed the screening and was accepted. For some reason, I passed the application screening and was accepted to …….”

Although she did not win the grand prize in the finals, the president of an entertainment production company visited her parents’ home several times and scouted her enthusiastically.

He told me, ‘Just try it for two years as a study,'” she said. Then you can go on to a junior college as you had originally planned. However, immediately after moving to Tokyo, my life was very low key. I was only doing things like answering the phone at the office and serving tea to customers. I even took singing lessons once in a while.

In January 1991, he was selected for the film that made Sendo a “trendy actor. It was the hit drama “Tokyo Love Story” (Fuji Television Network), which recorded the highest viewer rating of over 32%.

My character is the daughter of a large hospital who is married to a medical student (Yosuke Eguchi) with excellent grades. After the drama ended, the director told me that there was a kissing scene with Eguchi in the script. However, the office at the time was marketing me as an idol, so they gave me an NG. The director was disappointed, saying, ‘The office stopped me.

Chido has been active in a wide range of TV dramas and variety shows. On the other hand, she also felt tired.

Whenever he had a day off, he would drive alone in the middle of the night to the beach in Kamakura or Shonan, and just sit around and think about nothing. Perhaps he wanted to draw a line between his work in the city and his private life.

Chido got married in December 2000. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, he moved his base of operations to Hokkaido after the birth of his second child.

I can’t go back to being a “trendy actor” anymore,” he said. I think I was able to play the role because of the vigor of the 90s and the power and energy of my 20s. From now on, I will be a “trendy auntie” who conveys the charms of Hokkaido to the rest of Japan!

Chido continues to work as an actor and is also active as an ambassador for the Hokkaido Fisheries Cooperative Women’s Club.

In the June 19 issue of “FRIDAY” and the June 4 issue of “FRIDAY GOLD”, he confesses his busy days of 2 hours of sleep, his 20s, and secret stories about his relationship with Honami Suzuki. The magazine also features many attractive photos of Sendo, such as her first look at the time of her debut and her home vegetable garden in Hokkaido.

From the June 19, 2026 issue of FRIDAY